


Cynicism Versus Lead Pipes

by juniron



Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Day 2, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, Harry Potter References, Hurt Wally West, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Major Character Injury, Mentioned Artemis Crock, Mentioned Kon-El | Conner Kent, Mentioned Zatanna Zatara, Missions Gone Wrong, No Smut, Sarcasm, Set Between Young Justice Season 1 and Season 2, Torture, Wally West Whump, Wally West is Kid Flash, Wally West is a Little Shit, Wally West-centric, Wally is totally a Gryffindor but that doesn't really matter..., Whump, Whumptober 2020, mentioned Roy Harper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26787112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juniron/pseuds/juniron
Summary: After a mission gone wrong, Wally finds himself separated from his team, detained, and with a Belle Reve inhibitor collar clamped on his neck. Powerless and at the mercy of faceless criminals looking for information on the League, Wally must withstand the brutality without his speedy healing from his enhanced metabolism until help arrives.-----Prompt: Collars
Relationships: Barry Allen & Wally West, Dick Grayson & Wally West, Wally West & Everyone
Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950706
Comments: 4
Kudos: 115
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Cynicism Versus Lead Pipes

**Author's Note:**

> Sometime early after S1

**Prompt:** ~~**“Pick Who Dies”** ~~ **| Collars |** ~~**Kidnapped** ~~

The bright orange light bars glowed harshly against dark metal as the inhibitor collar whirred to life. The clunky metal contraption that was supposed to be controlling superhuman criminals in Belle Reve was currently clamped down on Wally West’s neck. 

Dread settled at the pit of his stomach but he kept himself composed. Not being able to use his powers was like a part of him had been stripped away. It was… weird. The collar was accompanied by weighty metal cuffs chaining his wrists and ankles together, restricting his movement. His shoulders strained as he tried to pull the chains, and knees protested against the dark, hard floor, joints cracking and popping uncomfortably.

It was supposed to be a simple in-n’-out investigation. Hmm, In-N’-Out sounded really good right about now.  _ Damnit, West, focus.  _ Wally scolded himself mentally for thinking about food instead of a solution to their predicament.

Speaking of escape, there was no way he’d be escaping without his team. And speaking of team, he had no idea where they were. Noticing the person who’d activated his collar, Wally mustered up the gusto to half-insult, half-interrogate them as to what was going on.  _ Here goes nothing. _

“Hey, ugly!” Wally started.  _ Jeez, that’s not a very original insult. I’ve gotta step up my game.  _ “Yo, you in the dark, ill-fitting jeans and the stupid ski mask.”

The man twitched, but didn’t give Wally the satisfaction of a response, but Kid Flash was not so easily deterred. Wally rolled his eyes as he jerked towards the man. His shoulders protested again as he realized that his handcuffs were chained to the wall behind him.

“I get you might be a bit intimidated, holding someone as cool as  _ me  _ hostage. If you let me go and tell me where you’re keeping my team, maybe I’ll sign you an autograph. I can even make it out to one of your friends or kids. Even you faceless henchmen gotta have relationships, right?”

Still no response. Just an aggravated hum.

Wally threw back his head in annoyance, his auburn hair flopping back over the goggles resting on his forehead. He racked his mind for another insult to hurl at the man, mentally searching through a catalog of quips he’d built up over the years with both Barry and Dick.

“You know, if I were you, I thin-”

“God, you’re just as annoying and chatty as the real guy,” the man finally groaned. Wally smirked triumphantly. The speedster mouth was a weapon in his arsenal that never failed.

“You talking about Flash? I mean, I’d like to think I’m a  _ real  _ guy too, but he’s a pretty cool guy if you ask me”

“You darn kids are so goddamn mouthy, especially the short one and the blonde chick. One of em’ just growls like a dog”

_ Conner really needs to hang out with people more often than Wolf,  _ Wally thought to himself. It was no surprise that Artemis and Dick were putting up a verbal fight… wherever they were. Now to find out what was happening and why they were being held captive. He was about to bust out another long string of words to annoy the guy into telling him what was going on, when a door to the left of him creaked open, letting in a stream of bright light, contrasting heavily with the mostly dark, grungy room, previously lit only by the dingy fluorescent light above that kept flickering like it was it was on its last leg. Another person, also clad in dark clothing, entered. Although this person’s tacky ski mask had red embroidered designs across it.

“You get any word from You Know Who?” the original man asked. 

“No further orders besides keep em’ alive till the parents come to pick up their kids, with a large ransom, of course,” the new man answered.

“Ummm, so is Voldemort blackmailing the League or what? I’m pretty sure Harry Potter kicked his ass. I wouldn’t know though, I never finished the books. By the way, Flash is so  _ not  _ my dad. That’d be so weird,” Wally butt in.

The men paid no clear attention to Wally, but it was clear he was starting to get on the original guy’s nerves. 

“Keep em’ alive, right? Any other requirements?” the first man asked, a sinister look spreading across his face.

“None that I’ve heard,” the second replied as he grinned unsettlingly towards Wally.

Wally felt his palms grow sweaty under his gloves. As much as he hated to admit it, he was out of his element, uncomfortable, scared, and with no clear ETA for rescue or plan of escape. His and the others’ powers out of play made everything much more complicated. He wished Zatanna would pop in through the door and say some sentence backwards and make sure everything ended up fine. But, again, the collars weren’t exactly helping that. 

“How much you wanna bet we’ll get a higher cut if we get something actually useful out of these brats?” the first man suggested.

“Whaddya mean?” the other asked.

_ Wow, this guy really isn’t the brightest.  _ Wally knew this man was insinuating that he’d be able to weasel some sort of information out of him or the rest of the team. He squirmed at the thought, and was even more disturbed at the idea of one of his friends receiving the same treatment.

“Intel. Make em’ crack. Some secret IDs, base locations, anything really. Let’s squeeze em’ for all they’re worth. This one’s the speedy kid. Mini Flash. He’s got the same powers. They got that enhanced metabolism that let’s em’ heal faster. Pain ain’t much to em’.” 

“Collars block it, though,” the second man paused, realizing what the other meant “ahh. I see. Without them fancy powers, he’ll crack like any other person.”

Pain was typically a great motivator, but in this dark, grungy room with crappy lighting, Wally was determined to keep his lips sealed, aside from insulting these guys, of course. And it wasn’t like he’d  _ never _ felt pain, it just went away faster than it would for most. He could handle this.

“I’m sure we can smack some secrets out of the others, but I wanna start with this one. He’s been bothering the hell out of me,” the first thug said as he reached behind him into the corner and into the darkness, re-emerging with a lead pipe.  _ Bad guys always seem to have long, blunt objects near them don’t they? _

The first man turned towards Wally, grasping the pipe with his hands. Wally noticed he was wearing fingerless leather gloves and his brain instantly started concocting a condescending quip to take his mind off of the fear of incoming pain he’d inevitably be feeling shortly. 

“Were you in a failed punk rock band in highschool? I definitely think that’s a viable villain backstory. Unsuccessful musician tur-“ Wally was cut off by his own gasp as the second man sent a steel-toed boot hurtling into his torso. He coughed and wheezed harshly, the wind knocked out of his lungs. At least he didn’t crack any ribs… hopefully.  _ Dark clothes, ski masks, stupid fingerless gloves, and goddamn steel-toed boots. The stock standard wardrobe for a forgettable faceless thug. _

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll shut the hell up.”

“I thought you  _ wanted  _ me to tell you all the League’s dirty secrets. Guess I’ll keep it zipped then.” 

“Fuckin’ smartass. How bout we knock you down a few pegs?”

Wally tried to keep his face in a scowl, steeling himself for the next blow. He couldn’t show weakness in front of these guys. They’d take it and twist it, and he didn’t want to be their puppet. 

“Let’s make sure you really ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

He couldn’t have possibly prepared himself for the blinding agony that washed over him once the pipe connected with his outstretched leg. A sickening crunch reverberated against the dirty walls of the room and Wally’s eyes burned with unshed tears, held back only by his will to remain calm. He ground down on his lip with his teeth, muting himself.

“Not so talkative now are you, Speedy?”

“I-It’s Kid Flash, you i-idiot,” Wally rasped as he squeezed his eyes together.  _ Man, if Roy were here, he’d take this like a pro. Damnit, West, get traught! _

“I said to stop being smart with me!” he shouted as he swung the pipe again, knocking hard into Wally’s temple, destroying his goggles and sending the shattered shards of the lenses across his forehead. Several bits of glass imbedded themselves in the cuts they’d caused, lingering like unwanted visitors at a party. Blood trickled down the side of his face as he groaned through gritted teeth.

That had really done it. Wally’s vision blurred and shifted all sorts of colors. His head throbbed in tandem with the beat of his heart. It was nice to know he wasn’t dead, but it’s pros did not outweigh the cons.  _ That one’s gonna leave a nice web of scars and bruises. Mom’s not gonna like that. She wanted us to go get our family photos done at the mall next weekend. Shit.  _ Wally’s mind raced where his legs could not, everywhere but his current predicament.

“Careful man, don’t rough him up to where he can’t tell us what we gotta know, ya know?”

“Yeah. So,  _ Kid Flash _ ” the man, Wally wasn’t sure which one (and honestly didn’t care who) at this point, spit out, emphasizing the ‘Kid Flash’ with bitter contempt. “You got a real name?”

Wally panted, trying to stifle the pain through breathing, before responding, “well, duh. As if I’d be stupid enough to tell you. But if we’re doing introductions, I’d like to know yours first.”

“Wrong answer, brat! That ones gonna cost you a finger… now to pick which one.”

Wally’s fingers had involuntarily curled into fists.  _ What I wouldn’t give to sock this dude in the face _ . He pushed himself away from the advancing hands of the man, groaning as he shifted the bruised and battered joints of his leg. One of the men smirked, yellowed teeth gleaning through the ski mask’s opening, seeing Wally’s defiance as an open invitation to stifle his resistance.

He grabbed Wally by the shoulders and slammed him into the hard wall behind him. His bruised (possibly broken) ribs protested as his back met the concrete. Wally winced and let out a pitched breath, squeezing his eyes closed trying to block out his pounding headache and calm himself. Even doing that sent a shockwave of stinging pain across his face as blood continued to drip from the cuts on his temple down his cheeks and onto the floor and into the material of his costume.  _ That’s gonna leave a stain. _

“I say we start with the pinky. A small warning. Consider yourself lucky,” the other man said as he yanked Wally’s chained hands from behind him, once again jostling his battered torso, forcing a small cry from him. He forcefully took one of Wally’s hands in his own, the red of Wally’s gloves standing a bright contrast to the man’s own dark fingerless gloves that he’d made fun of a while ago. How long had that been? Wally was starting to slip from his strong, prideful facade as the primal instinct to avoid the pain started to take over his body.

He’d almost forgot what they were doing until another sickening crack sounded through the small room. This time, Wally couldn’t hold back his whine of semi-restrained agony. His back arched, a natural response, but the other man grabbed his side and thrust him back against the wall. Wally’s cheek collided with the solid material, scraping and causing another throb to his headache.

“Now that you know what happens next if you don’t answer… let’s try a different question. What’s your little team, and more importantly, the League, trying to accomplish here? You obviously failed.”

_ Obviously.  _ Wally thought bitterly. His brain was so muddled at this point, he honestly couldn’t remember why they were there in the first place.  _ Why the hell haven’t I passed out yet? Can they concuss me harder so I don’t have to deal with this anymore? _

Wally gave no verbal response other than another weak, raspy moan of pain. The man holding him against the wall released Wally and let his body slump down pathetically. After a few moments, the men took Wally’s silence as a final act of defiance. If he were more lucid, he’d love to claim that exact rapport, but he was finally being pulled under by the blanket of welcoming unconsciousness. If he’d been more lucid, he might’ve noticed the flicker of the lights in the room, or the light rush of air that whooshed past the three of them.

“Hey, mouthy! You don’t get to fall asleep on us. Wake up! I haven’t got anything good out of you yet.”

“And it’s gonna stay that way,” a new voice interjected.

“What the fu-” the man and his partner let out harsh grunts and collapsed to the floor.

If Wally were more lucid, he would’ve heard Barry’s shouts or the light jostling that removed his chains. He would’ve heard the clanking of the inhibitor collar as it released his neck and clattered to the ground as Barry gingerly maneuvered his nephew’s body from it’s clearly uncomfortable position to a flat one where he could cradle his head in his lap. He would’ve gotten to see the team, accompanied by Batman and Black Canary, bursting into the room, shocked at the state of his body.

It wasn’t until Barry set a gentle hand on his mop of red hair that Wally’s eyes cracked open. His head still pounded, but despite the concussion, he saw his uncle and his friends and instantly knew what was happening. He was safe. Everyone was okay. He’d be okay.

“H-hey guys, you’ll never guess what I managed to do,” Wally wheezed as best he could. “I kept my big ol’ mouth shut, hehe.”

The weak chuckle caused some smiles as the tension in the room lifted slightly.

“Well, KF, keep it shut and chill out. We’ll handle cleanup from here,” Dick said, shooting his best friend an eye roll under his mask.

“Gimme a few days and I’ll be good as new. I just have one request,” Wally said as he rolled his head to the side.

“Lay it on us, Kid,” Barry replied, wiping the caked blood off Wally’s face.

“We go get In-N’-Out after this mission.”


End file.
